Sri Pada (Adam's Peak)
2,243m
Sri Lanka's most famous pilgrimage mountain, climbed overnight from December to May for sunrise at the sacred footprint shrine.
Mountain Weather
Sri Pada, also called Adam's Peak or Samanala Kanda, rises to 2,243 meters above the southern edge of the Central Highlands. The conical summit carries a small shrine over a footprint-shaped depression revered by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, and the official pilgrimage season runs from the December full moon to the Vesak full moon in May.
Most climbers ascend from Nallathanniya (Dalhousie) on a stepped trail of about 7 kilometers, leaving around 2 a.m. to reach the summit before dawn. Outside the season the path is unlit, weather is unsettled, and the summit shrine is closed.
The peak is part of the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary inside the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka UNESCO World Heritage property.